RTÉ and TV3 will be bidders if Eir Sport sells part of Rugby World Cup rights

Ireland rugby matches in Rugby World Cup have to be free-to-air

The Rugby World Cup in a Dublin hotel at an announcement of match venues. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho

RTÉ and TV3 will be the protagonists in a bidding war if Eir Sport decides to sell on a portion of its exclusive Irish broadcast rights to the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. If those circumstances pertain, it is expected to come to market in the very near future.

Under a list of sporting events designated by the government, Ireland rugby matches in the Rugby World Cup have to be free-to-air. Eir Sport can retain the exclusive rights by making them available in that format or, as is more likely, sell off part of their rights package to either RTÉ or TV3. That could include somewhere between eight and 12 matches, including other tournament games and knockout matches.

TV3 was the main Irish broadcaster for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England and then outbid RTÉ for the rights to the Six Nations Championship matches from 2018-2021, a decision that was prescient in timing terms as in the broadcast’s debut season Joe Schmidt’s Ireland side won a Grand Slam.

We reserve the right to remove any content at any time from this Community, including without limitation if it violates the Community Standards. We ask that you report content that you in good faith believe violates the above rules by clicking the Flag link next to the offending comment or by filling out this form. New comments are only accepted for 3 days from the date of publication.